William a



(No Model.) I i -2 S:h"eets-She t W. A. NETTLETON 8v 0. F. LITTLEJOHN.

' MACHINE FOR COVERING O'ORSETY STAYS.

No. 355,198. Patented Dec. 28, 1886.

N, PETERS, Phowulhogmpher, Washington, 0. c.

(No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W.,A. NETTLETON & G. F. LITTLEJOHN. MACHINE FOR COVERING 00mm STAYS.

No. 355,198. Patented Dec. 28, 1886.

N. PETERa Phom-Lnnu n her, Washi n nnnnn c.

NITED STATES PATENT Fries.

WILLIAM A. NETTLETON AND CHARLES F. LITTLEJO HN, OF BRIDGEPORT,

CONN ECTICUT; SAID LITTLEJOHN ASSIGNOR TO SAID NETTLETON.

MACHINE FO R COVERING CORSET-STAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,198, dated December 28, 1886, Application filed March 1886. Serial No.193,738. (No model.)

.7 ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. NET- TLETON and (humans F. LITTLEJOHN, citizens of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Covering Corset-Stays; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has for its object the production of mechanism for covering separate I trimmed corset-steels or dress-stays with cloth, paper, or any suitable material.

Heretofore it has been common to cover a continuous flat spring or strip of wire with paper or cloth, which strip was then out into suitable lengths for corset or dress stays. This method, however, required that the ends of the stays should be finished in some manner, or capped. By our present invention we automatically cover stays already cut into proper lengths, leaving any desired length of cloth between the stays, and may also cut the cloth at any desired place between the stays after they have been covered. In order to accomplish these results in a simple and economical manner, and to turn. out the finished product at a high rate of speed, we have devised the novel machine of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, numbers being used upon the drawings to indicate the several parts of the machine.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine complete; Fig. 2, an end elevation; Fig. 3, a cross-section of the magazine; and Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating the device for removing the stays singly from the magazine, which we term the feeding device.

For convenience in illustration, the pressurerollers are removed in Fig. 2; but their location is clearly indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. As any suitable rollers may be used for this purpose, we have not deemed it necessary to illustrate them more fully.

1 indicates frame-work, which may be of 50 any suitable construction, and 2 a .magazine for the stays, which is supported by brackets 3, above the frame-work, or in any suitable manner. The magazine is made just sufficiently wide and long to hold the stays in place, and at the same time allow them to pass freely down to be fed into the strip.

at indicates (he stays, which rest upon th bottom 5 of the magazine, the bottom being provided with a slot, 6, for a purpose presently to be explained.

7 indicates a balance-Wheel, which is journaled in any suitable manner in the framework, and to which motion is imparted by a belt, (notshowm) runningfrom a main or counter shaft in the usual manner.

8 indicates a guide or rodwhich extends longitudinally of the frame-work, and 9 a I slide adapted to reciprocate upon said guide.

10 is a connecting-rod pivoted to said slide, and also at some distance from the center of the balance-wheel, so that each rotation of the balance wheel will cause the slide to pass from one end of the rod to the other and back again, it being only necessary, of cou rse, that the slide" should travel the full length of the magazine at each reciprocation, as will be more fully explained.

11 is a catch, which is hinged to the slide in such a manner that it will turn backward, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, during the forward movement of the slide.

12 is a spring, which acts to hold the catch at its normal position. The upper portion of this catch passes through slot 6 in the bottom of the magazine, its height when moving backward being just sufficient to catch the lowermost stay, but not sufficient to catch two stays. As the slide passes forward the catch will turn backward upon its hinge, as indicated in Fig. 4, so that it will just pass along under the stay in the magazine, but will not bearupon the lower stay with sufficient pressure to move it. 7 As soon, however, as the catch has passed forward of the magazine-that is, to the position shown in Fig. l,spring 12 acts to draw it back again to its normal position, so that when the backward movement of the slide commences the lowermost stay in themagazine is caught by the catch and drawn out thereby.

13 indicates the strip of cloth by which the stays are covered.

In the present application we have only Letters Patent to Nettleton and Littlejohn, No.

340,347, dated April 20, 1886. As the stay passes out from the magazine it drops down into the strip of cloth or paper, whichever may be used. The strip, with thestay within it, then passes through a folder, 14, which may be of the ordinary or any preferred construction. The folder, not being specifically a portion of our invention, is merely indicated by dotted lines, (see 14 in Fig. 1.) The dotted line 15 in the same figureindicates a stay that has been forced out of the magazine by catch 11, the catch itself being shownin dotted lines at the position it occupies just before the return movement commences. WVhile passing through the folder one side of the strip of cloth or paper is pressed upon the stay. Then the other side is pressed down upon that, the upper side of the strip having, of course, been covered with paste or glue, as in our patent above. referred to. strip, with the stay within it, passes between pressure-rollers. (Indicated by dotted lines at 16 in Fig. 1.) These rollers are also ordinarily made to serve as drawing-rollers, one or both of them being provided with springboxes, (not shown,) in order to provide sufficient pressure upon the strip between the stays, so that the feed will be uninterrupted.

As explained in our patent above referred to, the stays are fed into the strip in such a manner as to leave a strip of the covering or cloth between each pair of stays. The strip is then severed by suitable cutting mechanismsuch, for example, as is shown in our patent-midway between each pair of stays, thus providing a strip of cloth at each end of the stays, through which stitching may pass to hold them in position, that being the simplest and best way of holding them in place, and wholly doing away with the necessity for capping the stays.

The operation is as follows: The strip passes in at the left of the machine in Fig. 1, having already been bent into trough shape by forming or breaking-down rollers, as stated above. When the slide has reached its forward position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, it pro- After leaving the folder the from the magazine drops down into the strip, which then passes into the folder,which turns one fold of the strip down upon the stay, and then turns the other fold of the strip over that. After leaving the folder the strip, with the stay within it, passes between the drawing and pressing rollers, (indicated by dotted lines,) and which are clearly shown and described in our patent above referred to. After passing through the drawing and pressing rollers the strip passes between cutting-rollers,

which cut it midway between each pair of stays. Any ordinary cutting-rollers may be used for this purpose. We have not deemed it necessary to illustrate them in this case, as they are fully illustrated and described in our former patent, referred to.

It will be apparent that the details of construction may be considerably'varied without departing from the spirit of our inventioh.

WVe claim- 1. In a machine for covering stays, the combination, with a magazine for the stays, of a longitudinally reciprocating catch which draws the stays out from the magazine singly and drops them into the strip and drawing and pressing rollers. v

2. The magazine and drawing and pressing rollers, in combination with the slide and a hinged catch carried thereby, as and for the purpose set forth.

, 3. The magazine and drawing and pressing rollers, in combination with guide 8, slide 9, adapted to reciprocate thereon, and hinged catch 11, carried by said slide.

4. Guide 8, slide 9, adapted to reciprocate thereon, and catch 11, hinged at its back to said guide, in combination with a magazine for holding the stays, a balance-wheel, and a connecting-rod pivoted to said balance-wheel and to the slide, whereby the stays are drawn singly from said magazine.

5. In a machine for covering stays, the magazine, balance-wheel, and connecting-rod, in combination with a slide, catch 11, hinged to said slide at its back, and spring 12, whereby when said slide is moved forward the catch will turn backward on its hinge, and when carried to its forward position will be drawn back by said spring, so as to engage the lowermost stay in the magazine.

6. The magazine, folder, drawing and pressing rollers, balance-wheel, and connecting-rod, in combination with guide 8, the slide, hinged catch 11, and spring 12, arranged as described, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM A. NETTLETQN. CHARLES F. LITTLEJOHN.

Witnesses:

A. M. WOOSTER, O. E. Rucerns. 

